"—and therefore is not to be entered lightly but reverently—"

Jason was running for his life. A ball of fire rumbled in the pit of his stomach as he surpassed stores and boutiques, red traffic lights and slow driving cars. He was close. He was so close he could hear the priest's chanting.

"—passionately—"

The garden was in eyesight. He could spot the large trees and saw the tops of the guests' heads, which caused his heart rate to quicken and his legs to pick up the pace. He was sweating excessively, drips beading at the back of his neck and water pooling in his armpits. Jason raced.

"—lovingly—"

Almost. He was almost there. His chest rose with every inhale, sprinting towards the tall bushes that indicated the entryway. It felt like he was flying.

"—and solemnly."

The priest's voice was closer now. Jason narrowed his eyes, grabbing the handle of the glass doors and tore them open, rushing inside the garden. Though his surroundings were alluring and all, Jason had no eyes for these platonic things. Alexia was there. Alexia was about to get married. He had to save her.

"Into this, these two persons present now come to be joined."

Close. So close. His heart pounded steeply as he watched the view in front of him, never coming to stop. It was all clear now, though, the hundreds of guests and the little group of persons standing by the alter. He saw a blob of white but averted his gaze.

He'd gush about her later. First, he had to get there.

"If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together—let them speak now or forever hold peace."

Jason burst through the doors that led to the ceremony, a determined look gracing his features while he sped forward, abruptly deterring midst the pathway.

People's faces turned sharply.

Jason didn't care.

She was there.

Alexia was there.

His heartbeat was the only sound audible. "Alexia." He spoke, only to say her name. Alexia looked back at him, her eyes wide and unsure, as if she wasn't believing it.

"Alexia." He said again, forcefully this time. She seemed to wake up from her thoughts, a flicker of hope sparkling in her eyes. The priest's mouth gaped, confusion crossing his face.

But Jason only had eyes for Alexia.

She looked... like an angel. There really was no way to describe the untamed and lush artistry that stood in front of him. Her dark manes were in a knotty updo and her make-up was done superlatively. The gown, however, was a whole different story. It was grotesque but simple, fantastic but uncomplicated. It was like a white cloud, surrounding his angel.

He'd never seen her look so afraid. So little. Alexia was a big-mouthed, complex character. She'd stick up for herself even if it was the last thing she'd do. She wasn't scared to pick a fight. She carried herself with grace and poise. She was alluring—and she knew it.

But this... this wasn't the Alexia Jason knew. Her delicate body looked more fragile than ever, dainty and tender glances being thrown his way.

His heart ached.

And then, it burned.

No one would make his girl feel like that. Jason wouldn't allow it.

"Alexia." He said again, but it seemed that he didn't have to.

Alexia had left her spot by the altar, dashing towards Jason. Her dress danced around her as she tried to grab most of it, restraining herself from falling over.

Jason caught her. His arms were around her waist and her arms were around his neck and they held each other close, both their eyes shutting to be in the moment.

A gasp went through the crowd. They ignored it.

"I've got you, baby girl." Jason whispered into her hair, tightening his arms. Her body was fully pressed against his and her strawberry-like scent wafted around them, and he loved it. He loved every second of this.

Finally, they were together again.

His heart lurched in his throat, burying his face into the nape of her neck. "I remember, Lex. I remember everything. I promised you."

Alexia was crying against his chest, tears streaking his tux. "I know. I—I hadn't expected you to, but honestly a part of me still believed in it."

"Of course. I promised you, baby. I intend to keep my promises."

They slightly pulled away, staring each other in the eye. Jason exhaled in relief as he watched the oh-so-known welcoming twinkle in her eye flicker, together with the sincere smile that curled her lips. Tears were still rolling down her cheeks, but it was okay. They were happy tears.

"I love you." He smiled, too.

"I love you." She answered, leaning in for a kiss.

Their lips collided. Fireworks went off. Earth turned into heaven. When they pulled back, both were radiant with utmost adoration. Alexia's cheeks had turned red. Jason's smile was from ear to ear.

It wasn't for long.

"How cute."

It was Damian. He was scoffing, irritably running a hand through his hair. Jason pulled Alexia behind him as a reflex, hiding her from Damian. He wanted to keep her safe, and God knew what Damian had up his sleeve.

"It's over, Albarran." Jason snapped, his muscles tensing. Alexia's hand was in his and that was all he needed to be confident.

Damian barked out a laugh and brushed away an imaginary tear, shaking his head. "You're so naïve, McCann. Do you really believe that you're coming out of this alive?"

"I don't give a shit." Jason spat, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I'm here to make sure she doesn't marry you, you psychotic, egoistical piece of fucking crap."

The guests gasped again. Emilio stood up from his spot and cleared his throat. "Jason, I really don't appreciate this." He firmly spoke, an annoyed vibe surrounding him. "I advise you to leave."

"Oh no, it's fine Emilio." Damian snickered, "I guess it's time I show my true colours then, eh?"

Emilio stood perplexed, a stupefied expression crossing his face. "Excuse me?"

Damian rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, daddy Valdez, but everything they've been saying about me is true. I'm not as nice as you think I am, but I like the positive back-up. I wouldn't have been able to do all of this without you, I'm certain."

"What?"

Damian scoffed. "You're a really lousy father, Emilio. I thought you'd be the hardest to exploit, but it turned out you weren't much harder than your wife."

"Do not speak of her!"

"Why?" Damian's lips curled devilishly, "I'm the last thing she saw before she died, after all. I guess I deserve some credit."

Jason's heart hammered hard against his ribcage. With the adrenaline rushing through his body and the blood pounding in his ears, he was 30% exhilarated mixed with 70% of horror. It was horrifying to see sir Emilio Valdez' exterior slip, to see how his usually warm and dancing eyes turned into icy, rocky browns.

Alexia tensed against Jason's back, leaving her spot and appearing by his side, her hand still in his. "That bastard." She whispered, her brows furrowed together.

Everyone knew—but no one said it out loud. Regardless of the fact that this was a 'wedding' and weapons clearly weren't required to bring, more than half the guests got off their chairs and pulled out their guns. Most of the tenants were from the business anyway, they were trained to do this.

"Oh, you're all going to shoot me now? Funny. Just minutes ago you were all happy for me and ready to kiss my feet. Did you forget that I'm about to be Leader?" Damian laughed, "You're so gullible, everyone."

The numerous men kept their guns pointed at Damian, no emotions on their face whatsoever. They were waiting for Emilio's call, waiting for his validation to shoot Damian.

It didn't come. Emilio was frozen in his spot, a distant look crossing his face.

"Shut the fuck up." Alexia sneered, finally feeling confident enough to step up. "All you've done these past months is make my—and my family's—life miserable, and I'm so done with it. You're caught now, Albarran. You can't do shit anymore."

Damian clacked his tongue, "That's where you're wrong, princess."

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

His hand disappeared into the pocket of his jacket and similarly to the other men he pulled out his silver-plated gun, determinedly pointing it at Jason. Stefano, Dominic and Teo cantered over to where Jason and Alexia were standing, circling around them like a human shield. They were instantly armed, strong, solid hands wrapped around their pistols.

Then, all hell broke loose. Chaz jumped off his chair and dashed over to where Chloe was standing, protectively pushing her behind him. Tears were rolling down her cheeks but she made no sound. Jason had to give it to her—she coped surprisingly well with the fact that more than two hundred men had their guns out. He knew she'd blame her tears on her pregnancy but truth to be told, the scene was disturbing to anyone who wasn't used to it.

Carina got off her chair, too, and silently joined Dominic. He looked stricken for a moment, big eyes on his wife and the baby in her arms. "What are you doing?" he hissed, "Get yourself and Toby out of here!"

But Carina stayed. "I'm your wife and he's your son and there's no way in freakin' hell that we're leaving you here. We'll just have to trust you to protect us." Nonetheless, she pushed their son tightly against her chest, rocking him back and forth whilst humming a lullaby that seemingly soothed her husband too.

Wives searched for their husbands, children stuck with their parents, people were running all over the short-chipped grass, trying to find their beloved ones. Being in the business meant that they knew all about situations like these, but that didn't mean that they didn't frighten them.

Besides, not all the guests were Latino mafia. Jason narrowed his eyes at Ryan, a jolt darting through his heart. What was he doing? Why was he standing there on his own?

'Go!' Jason mouthed. Ryan's lips stayed pressed in that thin line they'd been in for the entire time, but he turned around and stepped over to where Chloe and Chaz were standing. 'Not leaving you.' He mouthed back.

Damian barked out another one of his evil laughs. "You can shoot me. Just know that the very second you even think of pulling the trigger—I'll do it first, and McCann will be dead."

Everyone glanced at Jason like they didn't understand his connection to this entire occurrence. Teo took a deep breath, displaying the most resentful gaze he could muster as he darkly ordered, "Put the gun down."

"Oh please." Damian scoffed, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

"Put. It. Down."

"Do you want to hear the story of how I killed your mother? Of how my blade was halfway through her heart and she was still chanting 'spare my children, spare my children!'? That's hilarious, huh? Considering the way she treated you guys."

Teo's entire body shook. His hands trembled in absolute hatred, his throat closing. Jason frowned, glancing at Alexia.

It was strange. All four Valdez siblings had the same infuriation flickering in their eyes, the same tense stances and the exact same scowls on their faces. Stefano, Dominic, Teo and Alexia looked like they were ready to kill.

To top it off, Cat kicked off her heels and ran across the grass to her brothers and sister, the trail of her champagne-coloured dress trailing behind her. Her cheeks were flushed, water covering her eyes. "I—I—"

Stefano harshly grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his side, wrapping his left arm around her shuddering body. "Shh," he whispered, his eyes never leaving Damian's, "You're safe now, Cat. Calm down. We'll protect you."

Jason squeezed Alexia's hand. It seemed that they had the upper hand if you put aside the fact that Damian's gun was aimed on Jason.

"Adorable!" Damian spat, "Am I not good enough for you anymore, Catalina? You don't like the way I pounce into your pussy?"

Low whispers went through the concourse. A random man yelled, "Sir Emilio? Tell us to shoot him!"

But sir Emilio remained frozen.

Then, Jason understood why.

Five-year old Freddie was pressed against his side, his face buried in his father's suit and his little hand gripping the fabric. He dithered in fear, softly croaking out, "I want mommy, daddy. I want mommy. This is not fun."

Damian grinned. "I wanted you dead from the beginning, McCann." He spoke, "From the moment you stepped into my house I knew I had to get rid of you. Of course I did—you felt so comfortable. It wasn't right."

"No one wants to hear your sob story!"

Jason didn't know who'd screamed it, but it clearly ticked Damian off. He growled, his eyebrows knitting together. In a flash, he shifted his gun and aimed it on the man. He'd pulled the trigger before anyone had gotten the chance to react—and an atrocious, deafening sound echoed through the sky. The ground shook slightly and a bunch of birds spread their wings and flew away.

It was dead silent after the man's body limply fell to the ground. The people around him bent over and tried to save him. Some women screamed. Some children cried.

Jason didn't know what he was feeling anymore. He felt numb, and at the same time he felt too much.

"As I was saying," he forcefully roared, "I wanted the fucker gone. I'd almost done it when I set the fire—I was so close, but no. You'd managed to escape. This is when the cat and mouse game had begun. It was quite fun, right McCann?"

A lump formed itself in Jason's throat. Alexia's hand slid up his arm, clenching around his skin in desperation. "Don't listen to him," she whispered, "Don't lose your focus. I feel like he's about to surprise us."

"We've got this, sis." Teo murmured back, but it was awfully clear that his eyes were fixated on Maya, who was the only one still standing in line next to Damian. She looked shocked—too afraid to move.

"It was hard trying to find you, I have to admit. You have an eye for finding places I wouldn't guess. You made it easy for me when you came back to New York to visit the folks." Damian rolled his eyes, his grip on the gun never weakening, "It was so obvious, Jasie!"

"Don't." Jason snapped, anger rushing through his veins.

"I was going to kill them, you know."

"Shut up."

"But then I realized I'd rather kill you, so I let them go. Let them suffer for a bit."

"Damian, it's fucking over. Nothing you'll say or do will change this." Jason hollered, "You've done alright fucking up my life, but now it's your turn." His eyes glinted.

"The point of toying with Teo's brakes was so you'd ram into some other car, but what eventually happened was much better. I hoped Teo would just die altogether, he's pretty annoying, but I guess it's great that you lost your memories." Damian shrugged his shoulders.

Jason just looked at him. His eyes were murky and aphotic, and his pupils were uncommonly dilated. With his classic, tight suit and his flexed muscles he may look like a normal, well-mannered guy—but his face said different. His left eye twitched maniacally. His lips were curled into a wide, genuine smile. The man was absolutely psychotic. If he wasn't a crackpot, he must be demoniac, Jason decided.

"You're a lunatic." Alexia stated, repulsion gracing her features. Damian's smile widened even more. "Lunatic, psychotic, kooky, cuckoo, scatterbrain... I've heard it all, baby. Nothing new."

"You forgot schizoid." Jason murmured a bit too loud.

"And whacko!" Someone yelled.

"And nutty!"

"Don't forget insane!"

"And screwy!"

It seemed that everyone was eager to throw in their opinion on Damian Albarran. Damian himself looked pleased with every notion, his shoulders rolling as he easily accepted every insult.

"I know, I know." He laughed. "Hey, this has been fun. I'm over it now."

And just like that, he pulled the trigger again.

A body fell.

xxx 

Before I say anything: LAKJFLKSJDFLJSDFLSJDFLKJSDLKJLGSLDF;SODGHSLDJF;SKJDF;AOIJEGHAOLJKDSFSGH; you have now successfully finished every chapter in Animal.

First of all, I'm sorry for the short 'chapter'. It's the continuation of the first part of chapter 55 so it was bound to be shorter. Second of all, I don't know whether I'm happy with how this turned out but I guess the idea is clear.

This is the last chapter in Animal. The only things that's left to come is the epilogue, and everything will be cleared up then! I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. Don't forget to vote and comment!

Love, M